Re-assessing the status and distribution of Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Pothwar Plateau, Punjab, Pakistan

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/12/2021
Views (544) Download (85)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Re-assessing the status and distribution of Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Pothwar Plateau, Punjab, Pakistan

Rabia Nazir, Safeerul Islam Hashmi, Sajid Ullah, Asad jamil, Misbah Sharif, Muhammad Subhanullah
J. Bio. Env. Sci.19( 6), 80-92, December 2021.
Certificate: JBES 2021 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

The current study was carried out to re-asses the population status and to determine the distribution of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in the Pothwar Plateau, Punjab, Pakistan. For this purpose, a field surveys were conducted from September 2018 till July 2019. The data on distribution of the species were collected by recording direct (field sightings) and indirect signs (like burrows, fecal matter etc.). There were numerous old burrows, indicating a previous abundance of Indian pangolin in the study area. The Indian pangolin is still found in all four districts of the Pothwar Plateau, according to our findings. In Attock district, the highest density of Indian pangolins was reported. The average species density was calculated to be 1.01 individuals/km2 in the study area. The Indian pangolin is the only pangolin species recorded in Pakistan and is likely the least studied of all Asiatic pangolin species. Concerns over the Indian pangolin’s population loss due to poaching and trade have prompted a move to add the species to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). However, a fundamental constraint in the conservation of the Indian Pangolin is a lack of reliable and complete scientific information on its behavior, ecology, and risks to its existence. Therefore, the government and concerned organizations must identify basic research practices and awareness programs for the better conservation planning of the species.

VIEWS 55

Aisher A. 2016. Scarcity, alterity and value: decline of the pangolin, the world’s most trafficked mammal. Conservation and Society 14(4), 317-329.

Baillie J, Challender D, Kaspal P, Khatiwada A, Mohapatra R, Nash H. 2014. Manis crassicaudata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 10, 2014-2012.

Baral HS, Shah K. 2008. Wild mammals of Nepal: Himalayan Nature.

Botha J, Gaudin T. 2007. An early pliocene pangolin (mammalia; pholidota) from langebaanweg, south africa. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27(2), pp.484-491.

Challender DW. 2011. Asian pangolins: increasing affluence driving hunting pressure. Traffic Bulletin 23(3), 92-93.

Challender DW, MacMillan DC. 2014. Poaching is more than an enforcement problem. Conservation Letters 7(5), 484-494.

Challender DW, Harrop SR, MacMillan DC. 2015. Understanding markets to conserve trade-threatened species in CITES. Biological Conservation 187, 249-259.

Gaubert P, Antunes A. 2005. Assessing the taxonomic status of the Palawan pangolin Manis culionensis (Pholidota) using discrete morphological characters. Journal of Mammalogy 86(6), 1068-1074.

Irshad N, Mahmood T, Hussain R, Nadeem MS. 2015. Distribution, abundance and diet of the Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata). Animal Biology 65(1), 57-71.

Karawita K, Perera P, Pabasara M. 2016. Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Yagirala Forest Reserve Ethnozoology and Implications for Conservation.

Lihua C, Liang X, Hui X, Yunya X, Zhongfeng X. 2010. Protection and Cultivated Technology of Pangolin. Asia-Pacific Traditional Medicine 2(006).

Mahmood T, Hussain R, Irshad N, Akrim F, Nadeem MS. 2012. Illegal mass killing of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Potohar region, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology 44(5), 1457-1461.

Mahmood T, Irshad N, Hussain R. 2014. Habitat preference and population estimates of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in District Chakwal of Potohar Plateau, Pakistan. Russian journal of ecology 45(1), 70-75.

Mahmood T, Irshad N, Hussain R, Akrim F, Hussain I, Anwar M, . . . Nadeem MS. 2016. Breeding habits of the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Potohar Plateau, Pakistan. Mammalia 80(2), 231-234.

Noman M, Jun W, Ullah S, Ali KS, Bilal Khan F, Tasleem R, Ahmad J, Ul Haq I, Emiliya H, Sahak K, Mushwani H, Ullah Z. 2020. Chitral Gol National Park; A paradise or threat for biodiversity conservation and socio-economic conditions of local societies, ” Journal of Earth Sciences & Environmental Studies 5(4), 121-129.

Perera C, Qin Y, Estrella JC, Reiff-Marganiec S, Vasilakos AV. 2017. Fog computing for sustainable smart cities: A survey. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 50(3), 32.

Sopyan E. 2009. Malayan Pangolin Manis javanica Trade in Sumatra, Indonesia. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the workshop on trade and conservation of pangolins native to South and Southeast Asia.

Roberts T. 1997. The mammals of pakistan (revised ed.) oxford university press. Karachi, Pakistan 525.

Weerakoon DK. 2012. The taxonomy and conservation status of mammals in Sri Lanka. The National Red List 134-144.

Wu S, Liu N, Ma G, Tang M, Chen H, Xu Z. 2004. A current situation of ecology study on pangolins. Chinese Journal of Zoology 39(2), 46-52.

Zhou ZM, Zhou Y, Newman C, Macdonald DW. 2014. Scaling up pangolin protection in China. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 12(2), 97-98.